I startled awake, heartbeat pounding in my ears. My chest hurt from its wild running. I gasped in a cold, wet breath, the sound loud in the silence.There. There it was again. My eyes widened as I listened. The baying of the dogs.
I clenched my fists. The fear raced through me unchecked, clawing at my throat, tightening my stomach. Bile rose in my throat.
The sound came again; the lead dog calling out and the rest of the pack answering.
Every muscle in my body tensed, screaming at me to flee. My mind raced as fast as my heartbeat. My breath was a shallow panting that I was sure could be heard from miles away.Don’t get up. Stay still. Don’t get up. I slowly opened my fists and ran my palms over the coat covering my legs. I pressed down, trying to soothe myself. Trying to keep myself from stumbling up and fleeing. Trying to focus. How far away are they? Listen, listen, listen.
I strained to hear over the thrumming of my heart. The baying sounded again to the southwest. They’d followed my scent. The sounds were faint enough that they were probably on the other side of the Vesia. I tried to take a deep breath – to feel the relief that should come with that realization, but I couldn’t force the air into my chest. My heartbeat was still careening wildly out of control.You expected the dogs, you knew he would send them. There’s no reason to panic, they’re far away. They haven’t come north.
But my mind couldn’t convince my body. Every muscle remained tense. Every breath hurt. My mouth watered and I wondered what I would even be able to throw up. I hadn’t eaten in hours.
I wrapped my arms around my legs and rested my head on my knees. I gave up on reasoning with myself. Every time I tried to tell my body to relax I tensed even more. Eventually the sounds of the dogs will go away. Eventually I’ll be able to breathe normally.
I could still hear them canvassing up and and down the Vesia, trying to pick up the scent. After what seemed like hours, the hunters must have decided that I’d kept going south. The whine of the dogs as they were dragged away from my trail faded into the distance. I remained curled up, head on my knees, until daylight began to fade.
I forced myself to open the satchel and take out half of one of the small loaves of bread. I had to choke it down, but I knew my body needed sustenance. I had to be able to walk. I tried not to think about how many days my food would last. I drank the water from my flask and refilled it with snow.
Then I started walking north.